WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 10: Absolutely Not!

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“I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some refreshments.”

Celine cautiously opened the door and came in.

She held a silver tray with cookies and teacups in both hands.

“You could've asked the servants. Why did you bring it yourself?”

“Ah, um. They all said they were busy.”

Serving refreshments was their job. What could they possibly be busy with? She really was terrible at lying.

Celine subtly looked away.

After the duel and broken engagement, she must have been worried sick.

At least her heart was in the right place.

“Nice. I was getting hungry anyway.”

Color returned to Celine's tense face.

Tap, tap, tap.

Celine hurried over, set out the refreshments, and sat across from me.

The atmosphere changed the moment Celine came in. It felt a little brighter somehow.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but even the air felt different.

This was why every home needed a younger sister.

Glance, glance.

Watching my reaction, Celine picked up a cookie.

She looked at me for a moment, then carefully held it out.

“You eat first, Brother.”

“It's fine. Just watching you eat fills me up. Anyway, you came to talk about Azelin, didn't you?”

Flinch.

I'd hit the mark.

Her thoughts were so transparent it was almost painful.

“I don't know if I should say this, but... I didn't think she was a good person.”

Even in the past, Celine had occasionally brought up Azelin.

She never openly insulted her. She would only say things like, “She doesn't appreciate all you do for her.”

After I'd cursed at her and even struck her, she never brought Azelin up again.

I wanted to beat my past self senseless. What the hell was wrong with me?

“She only knows how to use you, Brother...”

Celine trailed off in a tiny voice.

She was probably worried I would snap, “Who are you to insult my woman?”

“She was awful as a fiancée.”

Celine's rabbit-like eyes widened.

I deliberately tilted my head a little.

“Weren't you scared back then?”

“Of what?”

“When I beat Azelin. That was the first time you'd seen something that violent, wasn't it?”

“I was a little surprised. I didn't think you would go that far with Azelin.”

“But you weren't scared?”

“...To be honest, it felt satisfying.”

That was unexpected.

I'd wrecked a young lady's face right in front of a soft-hearted child.

I'd only hoped she hadn't been traumatized.

“I never liked Azelin. I just hated her. She'd been using you all along.”

“You have a good eye.”

“Um, and... I thought you did that because of me. You stood up for me, so there was no reason to be scared.”

“Who knows.”

“Eh? Wasn't that it?”

She was half right.

I'd already wanted to put Azelin in her place, but Celine had been the trigger in the end.

I took a sip of tea and looked away.

Celine silently fiddled with her teacup. The corners of her lips had risen slightly.

“I thought you liked Azelin more than me. No, I thought you hated me.”

“I did back then. I won't deny it.”

Before I remembered my past life, I had considered Celine a nuisance.

A frustrating, slow younger sister. An illegitimate child, a stain on Cardenos.

At some point, the fragrance of the tea leaves began to taste bitter.

“I'm sorry for everything.”

I hadn't even apologized to Celine when I left the family. I left without seeing her.

There was no particular reason.

I was certain she would never forgive me.

It was cowardly avoidance.

I didn't have the confidence to face Celine's resentment when she asked what kind of apology I thought I could offer now.

I had even lied to myself, claiming I had no room to care about family.

Under the great cause of saving the world, family would only make my heart weak.

Even if Celine forgave me, I had used the excuse that I would grow soft.

“Brother.”

Before I could say anything else, I felt something soft on my hand.

Celine's small hand lay over mine.

“I know everything.”

“....”

Neither of us said anything more.

I simply found her admirable.

I slowly raised my hand and placed it on her head.

Celine flinched, lowered her head, and mumbled quietly.

“My head wasn't made of stone? It wasn't?”

It was so out of nowhere that I wondered if I'd heard her right.

“Oh, I have something to give you.”

Celine stood and went outside.

It seemed she had hidden something behind the door.

She soon returned with a beautifully wrapped gift box.

“A birthday present?”

“I wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but you wouldn't accept it...”

Was I possessed by a heart demon or something?

The words nearly slipped out loud.

Celine shyly held out the gift with both hands.

I accepted it without thinking, then opened the wrapping under her anxious gaze.

“...A charm?”

“Yes! It has dried lilacs and a heart-shaped ruby inside. They say it brings happiness if you carry it with you.”

No wonder it looked like a lucky pouch.

“I asked around at the Ether Market since last year and placed a reservation. It was reeeally hard to get.”

“The Ether Market? Didn't it cost nearly two million shillings?”

Two million shillings was six months' salary for an Imperial official.

Someone might say it was absurd to spend two million shillings on a single charm, but everything at the Ether Market was priced as high as buyers were willing to pay.

“Don't tell me you spent all your allowance?”

“...Not all of it. About half.”

I was about to scold her for spending half her savings on one gift.

Then I stopped.

She had gone through so much trouble to give it to me. I should accept it gratefully.

A gift wasn't only about how the recipient felt. You had to consider the giver's feelings too.

“Thank you. I'll treasure it.”

“Um, there's more underneath.”

Underneath?

When I lifted the charm, I found a bundle of thread-like material beneath it.

“I started making it yesterday because I wanted to give it to you. I'm not very good at it, so it's embarrassing...”

A circular sword tassel, neatly braided from red-gold thread.

It was a decorative knot that knights hung from the end of a sword hilt to honor their martial fortune and their house's pride.

Unlike the charm, Celine kept glancing at me anxiously.

She didn't need to tell me it was handmade.

My sword happened to be standing beside the bed.

With Celine watching, I firmly tied the tassel to the end of its hilt.

Whoosh!

When I gave the sword a light swing, the red-gold knot swayed.

“You made it well. I'll keep it on.”

“There’s one more. This is really the last one.”

Celine rummaged through her skirt pocket.

Then she pulled out the final gift with her fidgeting fingers and held it out.

It was a handkerchief small enough to fit in my palm. Black thread formed uneven embroidery across it.

She seemed to have tried to embroider the black lion, the symbol of Cardenos.

But no matter how I looked at it, it resembled a cat with its fur standing on end, or a flat steamed bun, more than a lion.

“Pfft.”

“Aah! I knew you'd laugh! I shouldn't have shown you!”

“Who said I laughed? It's cute.”

Looking more closely, I saw spots of blood along the edge of the handkerchief.

I could clearly picture her pricking her fingers as she clumsily sewed it.

Something tightened in my chest.

“Buying the charm almost seems unnecessary.”

“Is it, is it not good?”

“No. These two are much better.”

The corners of Celine's lips twitched happily.

She really couldn't hide her feelings at all.

“Come to think of it, your birthday isn't far away either.”

“Huh. You remember my birthday?”

“It's fifteen days away. If there's anything you want, tell me in advance. I'll get you anything.”

In the past, Celine's birthday had been no different from a day that didn't exist.

Why celebrate an illegitimate child's birthday? That was how I thought.

I never gave her a proper gift. I only treated her coldly.

Celine's eyes widened as she softly spoke.

“I want a letter from you.”

“A letter?”

“Yes, a letter. I've always envied Azelin. You used to give her letters filled with care.”

It was only one letter.

“I'll write enough letters to make you sick of them. I'll add hard-to-find spellbooks and artifacts too. You gave me three gifts, so I should do at least this much.”

“Spellbooks and artifacts? Why are those coming up?”

She looked as though she had said it casually.

Yet her rabbit-like eyes wandered without knowing where to look.

That was only natural.

Magic-related items were things Cardenos would never permit.

Cardenos was an old and proud house of swordsmanship.

Anyone with the house's blood was expected to walk the path of the sword.

Magic, the opposite of swordsmanship, was taboo under an unspoken rule.

“You can be honest in front of me. You like magic more than swords, don't you?”

“M-Me!?”

“Your brother knows everything. Especially when it comes to you.”

“I really don't like it... I'm not interested in it either. I want to walk only the sword's path, just like you and Sister.”

Celine was already an illegitimate child with little standing in the family.

The pressure on her must have been even greater.

More than anything, she must have feared the scorn of her worthless older brother.

“Don't worry about what others think. You'd rather handle books than force yourself to grip a sword hilt, wouldn't you?”

“....”

“I'll take responsibility for you and make sure you can do everything you want in life. I'll speak to Father, so don't worry. I've only made your life miserable until now. It's time I started acting like an older brother.”

In my first life, this small, delicate child had been destined to become a monster.

After I killed Celine with my own hands, she came to be known as the Witch of Cardenos.

Luna had a habit of subtly digging into a host's suppressed desires and deficiencies.

For Luna, Celine had been a host brimming with potential.

Celine had been isolated within the family, while inside, she had been festering.

Her suppressed magical talent and extreme stress were more than enough to become the root of a disaster.

“Ah, Brother....”

An illegitimate child who had never been loved by her family her entire life.

Perhaps magic wasn't Celine's only lack.

“I'm saying this out of concern, but never think of opening a Heart Path. I'll make sure you can learn magic in peace. It won't take long.”

Celine, who had been looking at me, lowered her head. She awkwardly tried to hide her feelings.

Her hands, folded neatly in her lap, trembled faintly.

“You're right, Brother. I've always wanted to learn magic, but how could I? I'm Cardenos too...”

“You don't need to care. From now on, live doing everything you want. I'll make it happen.”

Celine's eyes filled with tears.

I was the one who had just received gifts, but she seemed to be the one moved.

“Then...”

Celine forced the words out.

“Could I enroll in the Academy? I want to study in the Department of Magic.”

“No!”

Even I was startled by my own words.

Only after seeing Celine's widened eyes did I calm down a little.

“Anyway, no Academy. Absolutely not.”

“W-Why?”

“You'll only go there and fool around with romance. That place should be shut down. I'll send you to the Magic Tower instead. If your goal is to learn magic, the Magic Tower is much better.”

Even if she cried, begged, and pleaded, I had absolutely no intention of sending her to the Academy.

Not even when hell froze over.

* * *

“Sniff, sob... Father....”

Only a woman's sorrowful crying echoed through the office of the head of House Rosenthal in the southern Empire.

Who was Azelin? She was Rosenthal's precious jewel, the woman who ruled Imperial high society.

Her tears could never be an ordinary matter.

“Those Cardenos bastards dare...!”

Viktor Rosenthal, head of House Rosenthal, ground his teeth.

His daughter's porcelain-white cheek had turned blue with bruises and swollen terribly. Several wounds marred her lovely features.

Viktor knew that Azelin was responsible for the broken engagement.

She had brought another man in, and it had even led to a duel. There was no excuse.

But Cardenos's retaliation had crossed the line by far.

Astin, that bastard, had kicked his daughter in the stomach and stomped on her face repeatedly.

It was an obvious provocation and insult toward the house.

“Cardenos has no fear at all. They don't even know to fear the heavens!”

Rosenthal stood on equal footing with them, but that was irrelevant.

Rosenthal, ruler of the south.

Outside the Imperial family, there was nowhere in the Empire Rosenthal's claws could not reach.

“How should I tear apart and kill these fearless wildcats...”

Bang!

At that moment, the mahogany door to the office burst open.

Three men rushed inside in a panic.

“Azelin!”

“My little sister! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Move aside! Azelin! Your brother is here!”

Azelin's three older brothers. The eldest, second, and third sons, all born a year apart.

“B-Brothers! Waaah!”

Azelin began to sob pitifully.

The three brothers were horrified the moment they saw their younger sister's face.

“What happened to our youngest sister's face?”

“It was Astin! That bastard did this to Azelin's face! Isn't that right, Father?”

“I, sniff, I know I was wrong, but... how could he stomp on a lady's face? What if I can never show myself in society again? How, how am I supposed to live...?”

The three brothers' faces burned with killing intent.

“That deranged Astin bastard dared!”

“It has always irritated me that trash like him was her fiancé. How dare he lay a hand on Azelin without knowing his place!”

“Father. We must march on Cardenos at once and tear that bastard limb from limb. The house's honor is at stake!”

The three brothers wanted to retaliate by force immediately.

Viktor wanted nothing more than to mobilize the Griffin Mage Corps and wage an all-out war.

But the Empire's two pillars must never go to war.

The Imperial family would not stand idly by, and even if they did, it was not realistically possible.

“Calm down, you fools. Do you think I want to let those bastards go?”

At their father's stern command, the three brothers swallowed their anger, still fuming.

Viktor was already assembling a plan in his mind.

There were many ways to crush those bastards without shedding blood.

“Cardenos are beasts who only know how to swing swords. When hunting beasts, there is no need to confront them head-on. Tighten the leash around their necks from every direction and slowly bleed them dry.”

The south's retaliation would rust the black lion's blade.

“Ernan. Before the day is over, send word to the major trading companies of the south. Order them to completely cut off all distribution to Cardenos territory. Warn them that any company which trades even one coin with Cardenos will be permanently cut from the southern market in Rosenthal's name. We may have to bear losses too, but we control seventy percent of southern commerce. Do not forget that we hold the blade.”

“Yes!”

“Albert, spread rumors whenever you attend social gatherings. Say that Cardenos's wastrel cruelly mangled a delicate young lady's face. Brand him as a barbarian worse than a beast. Make sure Cardenos is thoroughly isolated in noble society.”

“I will remember, Father.”

This was not enough.

They could also gather the large assassination guilds of the underworld and mercenary bands willing to do anything for money.

If they sent them to raid and plunder Cardenos's outlying territories, mana-stone mines, and trading companies day and night.

If they kidnapped and threatened Cardenos's lower-ranking knights and administrators.

Viktor shook his head.

If he pushed forward with such shadowy retaliation, it would likely become a prelude to war rather than mere retaliation.

The Imperial family overlooked economic and political revenge.

Once force was involved, the Imperial family would impose sanctions.

‘No. There was that.’

There was one chance to retaliate with force legally.

“When is this year's Magic-Martial Exchange with Cardenos?”

“...! Half a year from now!”

The Magic-Martial Exchange was a contest between magic and martial arts.

The two houses represented the dignity of Imperial swordsmanship and magic.

For that reason, they held friendly sparring matches every year to improve their skills and promote exchange.

They had certainly been “friendly matches” in the past.

“We can punish them thoroughly then. They won't be able to complain if we break their arms and legs under the pretext of sparring.”

Cardenos likely thought the same.

Viktor twisted his lips into a smile as he looked at the three brothers.

Rosenthal's sons were elite mages renowned even within the Empire.

What about Cardenos?

The blood of Cardenos ran thin in this generation.

A wastrel who had lived only for pleasure, incapable of swordsmanship. An illegitimate girl so inconspicuous she was barely noticed.

There was the eldest daughter fighting on the northern front, but she was alone.

‘They say that wastrel Astin defeated a knight with three Heart Paths.’

It would mean nothing against the three brothers, who had reached the fifth rank.

Julian was certainly a promising talent.

But only a young promising talent.

“Even if Cardenos's eldest daughter returns, it makes no difference. The three of you can crush Cardenos's wildcats. Especially that wastrel. Make sure he cannot walk out on his own two feet. Leave him half dead.”

“Of course, Father.”

“They must know they are at a disadvantage. If they run away, that will be fine in its own way.”

If the Black Lion of Cardenos tucked its tail and fled, it would only damage their honor.

The conflict between the two houses spread as swiftly as the wind, and the nobles turned their attention to their confrontation.

Naturally, interest would focus on the upcoming Magic-Martial Exchange.

Even if Cardenos made every excuse, the nobles would know.

The black lion had grown frightened first.

Cardenos could not stand against Rosenthal after all.

Young Lord Astin was a coward who would not even show his face.

“Do not let your guard down. The Cardenos I know will certainly be sharpening their blades. Until that day, devote yourselves only to training.”

“We will remember, Father.”

“When my turn comes, I'll remake that wastrel's face.”

“We should cripple him completely. I still don't know if that would satisfy me.”

“Sniff, sob....”

Azelin continued to weep bitterly with her face covered.

She acted the part of a wounded woman, but her true thoughts were entirely different.

‘Astin, I'll never forgive you. I'll repay this humiliation a hundred, a thousand times over. I'll tie you to your younger sister and make you crawl like a dog for the rest of your life...!’

She was not only Azelin.

She was Rosenthal.

Azelin's venomous eyes remained hidden behind her hands.

Author's Note

I only need to upload by 8:30 PM.

So sometimes, like today, I'll upload early!

Footnotes:

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